Trump arrives in Helsinki ahead of summit with Putin

But Trump has consistently resisted the suggestion that he confront Putin over the matter, saying Putin has repeatedly denied involvement. Long believing in the power of personal connections, he has insisted to aides that it was essential to sit down with Putin to establish a rapport.

While Trump blamed the administration of former President Barack Obama, not Russian Federation, after the indictments, USA ambassador to Moscow Jon Huntsman said Sunday that "Russia is guilty of involvement and mischief in our election this last go-around".

"I love those countries". And it was not lost on him that his poll numbers received a temporary bump after the meeting.

Mr Trump waved as they shouted: "No Trump, no KKK, no racist U.S.". At one point, he startled the Secret Service by giving Kim an impromptu tour of some mighty American machinery - the presidential limousine known as "The Beast".

Trump also named Russian Federation and China as foes of the U.S. "We have to assume - and if we have proof that they did it, which it sounds like we [do] - we should now spend our time protecting ourselves instead of having this witch hunt on the president", Paul continued.

He said he did not have high expectations of the summit, but Russian state television has already proclaimed a victory for Mr Putin, as his isolation has ended with nothing being asked in return.

"I could say: 'Would you do me a favor?"

Jon Huntsman, the USA ambassador to Russian Federation, said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday" that it was critical that the parties not expect too much from the meeting. "I did it. You got me'".

In an interview for ABC's This Week programme, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said he found it "hard to believe" that Mr Putin did not know about the alleged hacking.

The US president has taken in a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit and a visit to the United Kingdom ahead of his meeting with Mr Putin. He would regard the summit as a success if there was an agreement to merely reopen severed lines of communications across the board, he said. Trump arrived in Helsinki on Sunday evening after spending the day playing golf at his private club in Scotland.

The charges put an even greater spotlight on Mr Trump's treatment of Putin, who has denied making efforts to intervene in the US election that Trump unexpectedly won.

But far from his prediction that the Putin meeting would be the "easiest" part of his swing through Europe, the summit comes freighted with new tensions, after 12 Russian military intelligence agents were indicted for hacking Democrats during the 2016 election.

Trump was notified about the indictments earlier last week as he prepared for the July 16 summit between him and Putin.

But the White House has insisted the meeting is on. "If he even just implicitly suggests that some of Russia's behavior has been okay because of history or whatever other reason he gives", Salonius-Pasternak said, "that, I presume, will have very negative repercussions".

Thirteen Russian nationals and three companies were previously indicted for interfering in the election, but this is the first time government officials there were charged in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe.

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